Brunel boosts local economy by £212m a year, report shows

Brunel University London generates more than £212million annually for the London Borough of Hillingdon, supporting 2,512 jobs in the process, a new study has shown.

The new report, by leading independent consultancy BiGGAR Economics, focuses on everything from the amount spent by the university on local goods and services, to student expenditure and part-time employment in the region.

It concludes that Brunel is quite unique among universities in London in that it has demonstrated a huge stake in the local community in the past 50 years.

Chief Operating Officer at Brunel Paul Thomas said: “Whether through volunteering and student placements, through its impact on visitors to the region or through the sheer number of local suppliers and service providers that the university needs to run efficiently, we know that Brunel places itself at the very heart of Hillingdon.

“This report tells us just how much benefit the university brings locally and it demonstrates the value of having such a close relationship with the local community.”

The report shows Brunel’s gross valued added (GVA) - measuring the monetary contribution of the university to the economy - in the 2013/14 financial year.

In the same period, the university generated £785m in the UK, with a total of 10,407 jobs supported. And for every £1 directly generated by the university there was a total economic impact of £6.60 on the UK economy.

The university’s work in widening participation was highlighted as a particular success. Of more than 12,000 students, 94.8% of the year’s intake came from state schools, compared with 92.5% in the UK.

Meanwhile, in 2013/14, 1,397 Brunel students undertook work placements, while the student body contributed to 10,402 hours of volunteering in the same period.

This year, Brunel celebrates its 50th anniversary. More information about the events the university has planned to celebrate its 50th can be found at www.brunel.ac.uk/fifty.